Giving proper due to all parties (groom, bride — and, yes, even homeowners) making longterm commitments.
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The personal stories of one Realtor’s battles and triumphs in the highly-competitive Bay Area Real Estate Market, seeking to illuminate and humanize the very real ups-and-downs of homeownership.
We’re off to a wedding this weekend for the son (and his fiancée) of Cliff’s first law partner from nearly 40 years ago (did you follow that?) Suffice it to say that we’re at an age when our friends’ kids are getting married. Like many young couples of their generation, they’ve planned a “destination wedding,” so we’re headed to Colorado, leaving our boys behind to watch the dogs and the house (in that order).
Here comes the bride? How ’bout “Here comes the groom?” Dum, dum, da dum . . . dum, dum, da-dum. . . .
While it’s understandable that the bride receives the majority of attention at these functions (it’s hard to compete with a wedding dress) I’m the mother of sons, so with very few exceptions, it’s the boys we’ve watched grow into fine young men, and where my heart still lies. (However, the brides are definitely a bonus.)But “grooming” isn’t just for weddings. Sarah, Jill, Kate, and I are spending much of July preparing properties to hit the market in mid-August. It’s all part of the full service we provide, AND because COMPASS offers up to $50,000 in non-interest loans through their Compass Concierge program, many of our Sellers use those dollars to pay for their improvements while we await August to sell their homes.
Why wait until August? Because everyone is away in July on family vacations!
Consequently, bringing properties out after the 4th isn’t usually the best idea. That being said, there’s less competition in June and July which can work out well for Buyers under certain circumstances, but our main goal as Listing Agents is to deliver the best outcome to our Sellers. With the school year now beginning in August instead of September, the fall market has gained nearly three additional weeks. Instead of waiting until after Labor Day to market a property for sale. we often debut a house in August. If you’re tracking, the fall market runs mid-August through Thanksgiving, and then the winter market descends to a quiet hum until the new year, typically coinciding with the weeks following the Super Bowl.
Which isn’t to say we don’t sell homes during the holidays (we do), but they’re often distress sales, meaning death, divorce, job transfer . . . If you don’t have to sell between November and January, you’re probably better off waiting for the spring market which brings much stronger Buyer demand, and hopefully, a higher selling price.
Any serious commitment takes thoughtful planning
Put another way, we LOVE when Sellers contact us months in advance (sometimes years), providing us LOTS of time to prepare a property for market, especially if there’s deferred maintenance or a decision to address some overdue updates.
Last weekend, Sarah and I met with two such Sellers, one moving to Marin in the fall, and the other moving cross-country. In both cases, the dates are less defined, but nonetheless, we appreciate the long runway to oversee the work. With months (instead of weeks) to prepare their homes for sale, we’ll have everything lined up and completed before January 2026. As such, these properties will probably be the first out of the gate, when there’s typically STRONG pent-up Buyer demand and very few competing homes. Supply & demand are the biggest drivers with respect to “value.” Conversely, what you think your house is worth is irrelevant.
In the meantime, we’re currently working on bathroom updates at three different properties we don’t expect to sell until 2026. While we typically wait until Sellers have moved out to undertake any improvements that tend to be disruptive, these Sellers would like to get started early, with the expectation that prices will likely rise in the next six months due to threatened tariffs. (The threats alone seem to be resulting in “out-of-stock” with “NO ETA” posted on many items with our favorite vendors.)
Do we expect the market to improve next year, as many of you ask? Sarah and I might legitimately give you different answers on that question, but the simple truth is: we don’t know. (Nobody does.) Depending on where your home is located – certain neighborhoods saw increases in values in 2025 – while other areas suffered a definite softening, and most homes spent more days on market.
Condos and townhomes took it on the chin while the high-end of the marketplace was fairly robust. That’s no surprise as multi-million dollar properties often sell for cash, thus the interest rates have NO bearing on these Buyers’ ability to purchase. First-time Buyers, on the other hand, often found themselves priced out of the marketplace altogether. Between costlier mortgages and MUCH higher insurance premiums, carrying a home has become far more expensive for the next generation of home buyers.
In the meantime, if there’s “grooming” required at your home, and you’re thinking of selling your property either now or down the road, may we suggest you get on top of it sooner, rather than later? Not only will this serve you well when, and if you decide to sell, you’ll also get to enjoy the improvements while you live in the house, instead of investing in them just in time for the new owners to benefit and cherish.
When you think about it, buying a home requires much of the same obligations that taking on a spouse does: they’re both a labor of love; they both require a fair amount of work to keep them viable; they’ll both experience ups and downs, and they are both long-term commitments. Hopefully, this couple is embarking on a life filled with love and laughter. We wish them nothing less. Congratulations to the bride and groom!
How can we help you?
Julie Gardner & Sarah Abel | Compass Realty
Not just Realtors, but consultants in all things house and home, we’re here to educate, explore, examine and refer . . . In short, you may count on us to take care of your home as if it were our own and anyone who knows us, knows we take pretty darn good care of our homes.
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